The Duality of Power.

Human beings have a love hate relationship with power. We love it when we or someone we like has it, and we hate it when someone we don’t like has it. I think J.R.R Tolkien described humanity's relationship to power well in his “Lord of the Rings” series. The characters were all drawn to the ring of power, imagining how they could use it to save life. Yet the power they sought to use for life became a means for death. 

In the book of Genesis, we see God give a blessing to the human characters. He blesses them with a rulership over the earth and all of its creatures, with one notable exception (Gen 1:26-31). God does not give a blessing for humans to rule over other humans. Rather it is a result of the fall that humans will seek to rule over other humans (Gen 3:16). 

Now there is a story and character whom I find most intriguing when it comes to the topic of humans exercising power over one another. This story is complex because the main character is fundamentally good. He does not have some great scandal as many of the Biblical characters do. He is honoring, truthful, hard working, God fearing and God hearing. Through the actions of this character an entire nation was saved from starvation. Yet this character also uses the power that he has and the crisis that he was in to acquire more power, which ultimately lead to great injustice. 

Our story begins away from the seat of power. Young Joseph was the favored son of his father Jacob, and he received a prophetic dream from God that he would one day have a position of great honor (Gen 37:3-5). However when he shared this dream with his family, his brothers became hateful toward him. As a result his brothers sold him into slavery and Joseph was taken to a far away land (Gen 37:28). 

Yet while in captivity he didn’t not loathe his position, rather he worked hard and sought to benefit his new master. Joseph was so hardworking, trustworthy, and accurate that his master gave him full control of the house and no longer worried about it (Gen 39:6). When his master's wife sought to have an affair with him, he resisted to the point of his own detriment because of his respect for his master and his fear of God (Gen 39:9). 

The reward for his honesty and righteousness was imprisonment. Where again, he worked hard and became a blessing to his guard who ended up putting everything in Joseph’s care (Gen 39:21-23). It was in prison that Joseph’s ability to hear from God was recognized and reported to Pharaoh himself after he received a disturbing dream (Gen 41:1-13). 

So Pharaoh called for Joseph who was able to interpret the dream and tell Pharaoh of all he must do to prevent a coming famine from destroying Egypt (41:13-36). Because of Joseph’s ability to understand the word of God, and his wisdom in how to administer it. Joseph was elevated to the highest position in Egypt and given charge to carry out the plan (Gen 41:37-40). 

Through Joseph’s administration enough grain was stored throughout Egypt that the nation was saved (Gen 41:53-57). Not only was the nation saved but Joseph was reunited with his family and he was able to save them as well (Gen 50:19-21). But here is where things start to get complicated. While Joseph’s good rule saved the lives of the inhabitants of Egypt it also enslaved them. Joseph imposed a heavy tax on grain during the years leading up to the famine, then he sold it back to them at a price so high it cost them all they had, including their freedom (Gen 47:18-26). 

The reason I want to display this story is because it is complicated and feels very relevant. Joseph was in many ways a very good leader. Also The nation could not have survived the coming famine without a strong government overseeing and managing the crisis in an organized fashion. Yet by enslaving the Egyptians, Joseph gave pharaoh tremendous power over people, power that would be used to oppress and kill (Ex 1:16-22). The same power that Joseph foresaw himself using to save was later used to kill.

Today, we hear calls from our tribes that we are in a crisis, that a proverbial famine is coming and we need to give the right people or person power to make it right. We have even said at times that we don’t need a good person, we just need a competent one who can get done what we want to get done. We disregard even their character in pursuit of having a kind of power in the moment. We see the ends as a justification of the means. However we do not often think of the consequences of exercising power over other people. 

Human beings were never made to have power over each other. When we do evil, injustice and destruction are often the result, yet Jesus calls us to a different way. You see his disciples believed that when his kingdom came and he was reigning in power that it would look like the same power they were used to. His own disciples argued one day about who among them would have the most power and the greatest position. Jesus responded to them in this way, saying: 

Luke 22:24-27

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Jesus sets the example for how Christians should relate to and use power. He does so by entirely changing the question from how we should use power, to how we should serve. As believers we are not called to use power, we are called to serve and love our neighbors. Where does the category of power need to be flipped in your own life to be better aligned with the example of Christ? 

Philippians 2:5-8

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Reflecting on Joseph's story and Jesus' teachings, we must ask ourselves: Are we striving to consolidate power, or are we seeking to serve others as Jesus did? Let us seek to embody Christ's example in our own lives, prioritizing service over power and using any influence we have to love and serve our neighbors.